{Deep Dish} Chicken Pot Pie

This is hands down my kids’ favorite dinner that I make. When asked to fill out a “get to know you” form at school each year, for favorite food they ALWAYS put “chicken pot pie” or “my mom’s chicken pot pie”. And every time it is on of their birthdays, they pick chicken pot pie for their birthday dinner.

Now I like it and all, but I do not quite understand their obsession with it. But I humor them and make it a lot. I made it the other night when it was the first day of school. That is pretty momentous and called for their favorite dish.

I came up with this dish in college. I was newly engaged and wanted to beef up my cooking repertoire to impress my man. My roommates were A-Okay with that :)

I found a good crust recipe but over the years I modified it to my liking. And the filling is pretty basic.

The Crust:

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups butter flavored Crisco

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 eggs

*The buttered flavored Crisco and the extra vinegar make this would-be-generic crust, a more savory crust.

In a mixing bowl combined the flour, salt, and buttered flavored Crisco and using a fork, cut the shortening into the flour. Once it is mixed well, add the wet ingredients. I divide the dough like this: one thirds for the top and 2/3 for the bottom. I press 2/3 of the dough into the pan with my fingers. And I roll out the 1/3 dough on wax paper for the top. When it is filled I lay the top dough over and press the edges together.

The Filling:

I start by making a basic rue. I use half a stick of butter, about 1/4 cup of flour, and add milk until it is a thickness I want. I use to add half milk and half chicken stock. That works well but I have found I like it super creamy. So I now use all milk and sprinkle in a couple teaspoons of chicken granules. I like it to be a little thicker than a cream based soup. Salt and pepper to taste.

Then I add the vegetables! If I have all fresh veggies, I steam them ahead of time. If I have frozen corn, canned beans, etc. than I just toss them in. I always have beans, corn, carrots, and peas. Sometimes I add potatoes and celery.

The chicken is cooked ahead of time as well. I usually buy chicken and boil all of it and then put the breasts in containers in my fridge to use through out the week. That way I just grab some and dice them up.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

I use a pan that is the same size around as a regular pie pan but it is a lot deeper. I have also used a regular casserole dish. And sometimes if I am in a hurry, I don’t even put a top crust on it. If you use a regular casserole pan, cook time may be less.